It is testament to Jack Redman’s character that he’s been able to overcome physical and mental setbacks in his Staffordshire career.
The Audley all-rounder is only 24, but has already endured some significant low points when it comes to representing the county.
But rather than let them affect him, Redman has used the experiences to make him a better player – and one who wants to become a Staffs regular.
Redman was just 17 when he was handed his Staffordshire debut in a Championship match against Cambridgeshire at Checkley in 2018.
And he was part of the squad in the subsequent years… and was just 24 hours away from arguably his biggest day in county colours before his first setback.
The day before Staffordshire won the NCCA Twenty20 Cup for the first time, back in 2023, Redman – named in the squad for finals day – suffered a serious shoulder injury on club duty.
He battled back from that, and although his path back into the Staffordshire fold hasn’t been straightforward, he was selected for the NCCA Showcase Game against Leicestershire earlier this season.
Stepping out at the Uptonsteel County Ground would naturally be a memorable occasion… but it turned out to be for the wrong reasons for Redman.
His off spin was hit for six sixes in an over by Rishi Patel as Staffordshire suffered an eye-watering 250-run defeat in the second T20.
‘Taking the positives’
“I’ve been lucky to play in showcase games before and the chance to play at Leicestershire was a great opportunity,” said Redman.
“What happened was a massive learning curve. But what I’ve taken away from that can only help to make me better. Setbacks like that can happen in any sport.
“I didn’t really sink in at first and then I got back to the dressing room and my phone was blowing up. I think because of the stage and playing at Leicestershire, with the amount of social media coverage, that got people commenting on what happened.
“After about a week had passed I’d pretty much forgotten about it, but there was that determination to bounce back.
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“I had a really nice message off Rich Harvey (Staffordshire cricket committee chairman) saying I wasn’t the first and won’t be the last person that happens to and I’ve just got to keep going about my business.
“And on the day, I managed to get the wickets of Louis Kimber and Rehan Ahmed – so they weren’t two bad scalps!
“When the fourth six went, I kind of knew it was going to happen. You don’t want it to happen at any level. But flipping it on its head, if I’m in that situation again, I know what to do when someone is coming at me, which can happen in T20s.”
To prove that his Leicestershire experience hasn’t caused any lasting damage, Redman – who didn’t feature in the 2024 season – went on to play a key contribution in Staffordshire’s NCCA Twenty20 Cup opener.
‘Bouncing back’
He bowled impressively, finishing with 1-14 in the second game against Northumberland at Allendale, as Staffs returned from the north east with one win and one defeat.
“It’s been an interesting couple of years. I got injured before we were supposed to play at Tring Park in the T20 final in 2023,” he added.
“It’s great to be back involved and it’s a brilliant set of lads in the group. We’ve got good players throughout the county and the competition for places is high. I’m thankful that I was still in the loop and I want to repay the faith.
“It was disappointing not to be involved last season. I played a couple of development games and did pretty well. So I was disappointed not to get the call because I want to play as much as I can for Staffordshire.
“I thought I performed quite well for Audley last year in what was a tough season for us. I had a good chat with Carri (head coach, Andy Carr) in the winter. He still wanted me on board with what is going on and the project.
“I didn’t try to put too much pressure on myself to get back into the team. I didn’t want that to weigh heavily on me, I just wanted to enjoy my cricket and see what happened.”
‘Role to play’
Redman has played seven Championship, seven Knockout Trophy and 12 T20 matches for Staffordshire in his career.
He hasn’t featured in the three-day or 50-over formats since 2022, so has been looking to take his chance in the short format.
The left-handed batsman is versatile – and he believes that can sometimes count against him.
“It feels so long ago since my debut. At that age I didn’t know a lot about Staffordshire men’s cricket. I was actually quite funny because I made my Staffs debut in the same game as Carri against Cambs,” he reflected.
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“I’ve had a little bit of run in the formats and then came out of it. It’s nice to be thought of and I want to play as much cricket as I can.
“I am still quite young and there’s a lot of good people and experience in our dressing room that I can learn from.
“It’s a positive that I can be versatile with the bat. I can probably bat anywhere from one down to seven, which is where I was due to bat at Allendale.
“It’s a difficult decision for the selectors and how they really view me in the team. And I like to think that I can offer something with the ball as well.
“That plays to my strengths and helped me to get back into the team and I thought I bowled pretty well at Northumberland. And batting wise it was nice to put on a bit of a partnership with Callum Leese to help us to a decent target in the first game, even though we lost.”
‘Keeping up appearances’
Redman is now turning his attention to this weekend’s Group One T20 double header against Shropshire at Burslem.
He’s in the 12-man squad and says it’s imperative that the momentum gained from that second-game win at Northumberland is maintained.
“Each game we play we set out to play, especially in the T20s where you have the two games in the day,” he said.
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“Hopefully we can come away with two wins. There’s a bit more of an onus on the T20 campaign after what happened in the Knockout Trophy. I didn’t play in those matches, but the lads were disappointed that we didn’t qualify from the group and it’s important that we bounce back.
“I think the way we performed at Northumberland in the second game stands us in good stead.
“We know that we always have to be ready. Ketts (captain, James Kettleborough) could throw you the ball at any time or tell you to stick your pads on – so you need to be switched on all of the time.”
And looking further forward, Redman would love to end his sting out of the three-day side by figuring in the Championship matches once again.
‘Confidence boost’
He’s made a good start to the club season, with his Audley side currently topping NSSCL Premier A.
And he hopes that confidence gained from winning games can push him into the reckoning for the red-ball county fixtures.
“I’d love to play in the Championship stuff. Since coming out of the county circuit at Derbyshire academy, the chances of playing longer-format cricket are few and far between,” he reasoned.
“But I’d not just love to be involved, I want to be playing and coming away having put in performances which have helped Staffordshire to win.
“I’ve just got to keep performing for Audley and hopefully I will get a chance. Whatever role I’m given, I believe in myself 100 per cent – whether that’s with bat or ball.
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“At Audley we had a tough time last year, but we recruited well in the winter and that has helped me.
“There’s more people contributing to winning games for us and that allows me to play my natural game more. It’s all going well at the minute and that does help you on Sundays.
“Winning for your club on a Saturday gives you confidence which you can take into Staffordshire fixtures.”
Main image: Jack Redman is determined to seize his chance in Staffordshire colours.